A Rose in the Ocean
by Schwarze Tranen
Summary: A childhood friend of Shanks has set out to sea to find him and confess her feelings. How will things turn out? ShanksOC ? Please RR
1. Chapter 1

**A Rose in the Ocean**

Disclaimer: Don't know, don't own, don't sue.

Shanks and his crew are Eiichiro Oda's. Not mine. SO don't sue.

Kerika is my own personal character. The rest of the characters that appear in this story that don't appear in the anime are my friend's characters. Azukina is Danielle's, Shiori is Tara's, Shiteru is Onnolea's, Nathan is Joe's, and Zexx is Mark's.

A/N: I will have more chapters up soon.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Captain Kerika Monotaru stood on the deck of _The Underline_, staring out into the shifting tides. None of her crewmates had woken up yet, for it was still too early in the morning. She figured she still had about another half an hour before daybreak. She looked around the deserted deck and sighed. They had been at sea for months now and there still wasn't any sign of him.

"Him" happened to be the Captain of his own crew, Captain "Red-haired" Shanks, whom Kerika had a secret cursh on since their childhood. She reminisced of the times she had with him when they were only kids. They lived in the same village together. But then one day he came to her with the news that he was joining a pirate crew as an apprentice. She watched him explain to her how he wanted to see the world and it amazed her at how enthusiastic he was about it. Remembering the look on his face when he left her alone on that dock, waving goodbye ever so happily, brought tears to her eyes even now.

She wiped them away just in time for the sun to start rising. She watched the large, yellow orb as it turned the sky all shades of red, pink, and orange. She looked down into the water to see the beautiful scene mirrored in its waves.

"'Allo, Cap'n!" called the lookout, Azukina Mitsuvitsi, as she began to climb skillfully up to the crow's nest. Lyson, Azu's falcon swooped up and perched on the edge of the nest.  
"'Mornin', Azu." Kerika replied.  
"And to you, too!" Azu said gleefully.

Kerika decided to go wake up the cook, Shiori Sylhca, to make breakfast since the crew began stirring and coming above deck, one by one. She stepped past Shiteru Sanyo, the first mate,'s room, then by Nathan Zackary's, then by Zexx McCloud's. Finally nearing the kitchen, she came to Shiori's room. Kerika knocked on the door, but no one answered. Sweatdropping, she tried again. She jumped, startled by something brushing up against her leg. She looked down, and there was Beth, Shiori's cat.

"If you're looking for someone, they're not going to be in my room." Shiori called from the kitchen.

She was always two steps ahead of Kerika. Well, it seemed that these days everyone was. She guessed it was just because they had all been sailing with each other for so long, that they could practically read her thoughts by now. Kerika shrugged and stepped into the kitchen, peering over Shi's shoulder.

"Whatcha cookin' fer us?" Kerika asked.  
"You'll see when it's time to eat."

Kerika laughed and headed back towards the deck. The sun was now fully up and Kerika couldn't help but close her eyes as she was enveloped in its warmth. Just about all the crew was up now, and doing their jobs. Nathan came up to her with a map in one hand and a compass in the other.

"We should reach land real soon. And that's a good thing because I have the strongest feeling that a storm's coming up from the east."

Kerika was about to reply, when all of a sudden, "SHIP AHOY! COMING FROM THE STARBOARD SIDE!" came from the crow's nest. Kerika squinted and raised her hand above her brow, trying to make out the ship's colours. Was it a pirate ship, navy ship? It was... A pirate ship. The familiar symbol on with its black background. A skull with two swords crossed behind it and three red scars across the right eye.

"It's him, alright." Kerika smirked.


	2. Chapter 2

**A Rose in the Ocean**

Disclaimer: Don't know, don't own, don't sue.

Shanks and his crew are Eiichiro Oda's. Not mine. SO don't sue.

Kerika is my own personal character. The rest of the characters that appear in this story that don't appear in the anime are my friend's characters. Azukina is Danielle's, Shiori is Tara's, Shiteru is Onnolea's, Nathan is Joe's, and Zexx is Mark's.

Note: I forgot to mention this in the first chapter... But this all happens before Shanks goes to Fushia Village and meets Luffy.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Azukina came down from the crow's nest to join in on the action, if there was going to be any, that is. She walked briskly up to Kerika. She tapped on her captain's shoulder to get her attention. Kerika snapped ut of her dream-state and turned.

"Is there going to be a battle?" Azu asked hopefully. "_The Underline_ hasn't seen that much excitement Lately."

At that moment, a group of her battle-ready crew surrounded her for instructions.

"We won't be needing those..." Kerika said as she pointed at ther weapons. Then she thought. "Unless they've been drinking... They can get pretty rowdy when the've been drinking. But.. they won't intentionally do any harm."

"You _know_ them!" Azu looked shocked.

"Of course I do!" Kerika added with a luagh, as if it were common sense that she did. "Now, I shall go talk to their captain... You all wait here."

As she made her way to the starboard side, some of crewmen whispered to each other.

"A lover?", "I doubt it... Kerika's never been with a man.", "What business might she have with them?", "Secretly, could she be a whore... and her 'boss' is on that ship?"

Shiteru slapped the one who had made the last comment. "How dare you say that of your cap'n!"

Kerika called to the other ship, asking for their captain. A man came to the edge of the other ship, his features hidden in the shade of a straw hat.

"I'm the Captain. What is it that you want?" he sounded tired. Kerika thought that maybe they had just gotten out of a battle or a storm of some sort. Kerika opened her mouth to reply, but the man on the other ship raised his hand to his temple sighed, and shook his head. He turned aorund and began to walk away, Kerika reckoned probably to go back to his quarters.

"HEY! Where are you going? I haven't even said anything to you yet! How rude!" to answer her shouting, he came back carring some rope. The other end was apparantly tied to some part of the ship. He threw the other end to Kerika. She looked at him questioningly.

"I can barely hear you, even with your shouting. Just tie that somewhere one your boat to keep our ships steady. I'm coming over there so that we can have a decent conversation."

Kerika took the rope over to the mast and looped it around. She then walked back over to the edge and awaited the other captain.

The first man to crossover onto their ship was a tall man with long black hair, that was tied back. He carried a large pistol.

"What might your name be?" Kerika asked him.

"Well, it _might_ be Ben Beckman, and I _might_ be the firstmate." he replied smartly. Kerika could hear a few of her crewmen snicker.

And then the captain boarded. He was tall as well, but still a little shorter than his firstmate. His face could be seen clearly now. His hair was a flaming red, and he had three scars running across his left eye. His face was kind of ruough-looking, and he had facial hair around his chin and upper lip.

That was when Kerika squealed like a high school girl, jumped on him and hugged him. (Ben looked at her like she was a madwoman, then turned to Kerika's crew, a questioning look on his face. They all shrugged. They'd never seen her act like that before.)

"SHANKS! It's REALLY you!" she cried.

The red-haired man was a little confused, then after a moment he had sorted it all out in his head.

"Hey, Kerika... long time no see." and he looked down at her and gave her a huge grin.


	3. Chapter 3

**A Rose in the Ocean**

Disclaimer: Don't know, don't own, don't sue.

Shanks and his crew are Eiichiro Oda's. Not mine. SO don't sue.

Kerika is my own personal character. The rest of the characters that appear in this story that don't appear in the anime are my friend's characters. Azukina is Danielle's, Shiori is Tara's, Shiteru is Onnolea's, Nathan is Joe's, and Zexx is Mark's.

A/N: After many reviews asking for me to continue the story, I have returned! I had 15 chapters written out, but now that I have progressed so far as a writer, I will be editing heavily as I go along.

When starting this story, I was a novice, and made Kerika out to be a Mary-sue. Big no-no when writing fanfiction, as you all may know. So I guess I'm winging it and we'll see how it all turns out. Enjoy the rest of the stury, folks.

(By the way I apologize for this being a short chapter. I'm trying to add two chapters together at a time to make them a longer read- this was originally Chapter 5.)

* * *

**Chapter 3**

The man, now known to all as Captain Shanks, smiled as he draped an arm over Kerika's shoulder.

"It has been quite a while." he chuckled. "And you have grown quite a bit. What a strange coincidence that we should run into each other out here on the sea. I

wasn't informed that you had become a pirate..."

"I set out to find you.." Kerika murmured, an ashamed blush appearing on her cheeks.

Shanks frowned. "That's no reason to become a pirate, is it?"

"I do have other motivations.." Kerika stated. "As if I'd tell them to you." she pouted.

"EH! Captain!" someone from _The Red Force _shouted, alarmed, "There's another ship coming from the aft side! They must have been following us! They've striked

their colors- it's a pirate ship!"

"Fools, they must be, to try and go up against us." Shanks chuckled. He and Ben made their way back to _The Red Force_ to prepare for battle.

Kerika turned to her own crew- "Well you heard the man- our allies are being attacked! If there is to be any bloodshed, let there not be any when we aren't

around!!"

In a flurry of excitement for a good fight, the crew scattered to prepare the cannons, snatch up their weaponry, and ready themselves for the battle.

Kerika grabbed a loose rope from the rigging of _The Underline_, stepped up onto the railing of the ship, and swung herself onto the deck of _The Red Force_.

Shanks spotted her as she did so, and run up to her. "What do you think you're doing?"

Kerika smirked. "Well, those idiots thought they'd be taking on one ship- now they've bit off more than they can chew, as now they are taking on two!"

"The battlefield is no place for a woman! If you got hurt because of this-"

"I'll be fine." Kerika reassured him. "As you said yourself- I'm a big girl now."


End file.
